Maresca sends Chelsea warning over Joao Pedro amid Mbappe, Lewandowski & Haaland comparison | OneFootball

Enzo Maresca insists he is still happy with Joao Pedro's performance for Chelsea despite the striker's current goalscoring drought.

The Brazil international last scored for Chelsea in the win over Fulham in August, which was almost two months ago.

During this period, he has made eight appearances for the club, seven of which were as a starter, with only one assist to his name.

Maresca, who previously said that Joao Pedro is struggling with his fitness, reiterated that he remains content with what the striker offers to the team.

IMAGO / Sportimage

"For sure, the physical part is important," Maresca said about Joao Pedro's ongoing struggles in Tuesday's press conference.

"When you are not 100 per cent, it is difficult to compete in this league.

"Joao is not a problem at all, he is going to score goals for us, give us assists.

"Joao Pedro is not a number nine who is going to score 20 goals a season.

"He is a fantastic player, but he is a different type of number nine (from those) that score 20 or 25 goals each year, like (Robert) Lewandowski, (Kylian) Mbappe, and (Erling) Haaland.

"This is a different kind of number nine."

IMAGO / Pro Sports Images

To compensate for the lack of these types of number nines at the club, Maresca expects other attackers to contribute.

"We said many times that the five players at the front, we need six, seven, eight, nine, ten goals each, in the way we have done last season," he explained.

Chelsea have scored the joint-most goals (17) in the Premier League so far this season, so the attack is clearly not as problematic despite Joao Pedro's dip in form.

In addition to that, Liam Delap, who has been out for the last two months, is also confirmed to be back for Wednesday's Carabao Cup trip to Wolves.

Delap's return would only help bolster Chelsea's firepower, as well as reduce Joao Pedro's workload.